Monday, May 30, 2016

At Oakland, California:In Monday's seventh and deciding game of the NBA's Western Conference Finals, Stephen Curry scored 36 points while Klay Thompson added 21 as the Golden State Warriors defeated the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 96-88 to capture their second straight conference crown as the Warriors became the third team to battle back from a three-games-to-one deficit to capture a conference finals (1979 Washington Bullets, 1981 Boston Celtics).In what may have been his final game in a Thunder uniform, free-agent-to-be Kevin Durant paced OKC with 27 points.The Warriors will host the opening game of the NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers (a rematch of last year's title series) on Thursday in Oakland.This marks the first time since 1947 and 1948 (when based in Philadelphia and played in the Basketball Association of America, a forerunner of the NBA) that Golden State will play in back-to-back league championship series.

At Pittsburgh:Nick Bonino scored the winning goal with 2:33 remaining in regulation on Monday as the Pittsburgh Penguins took the opening game of the Stanley Cup Final 3-2 over the visiting San Jose Sharks.Here, we seen the Penguins' Conor Sheary celebrating after scoring a first-period goal.USA Today photo by Donald Wright

Saturday, May 28, 2016

At Oklahoma City:Klay Thompson scored 19 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter while Stephen Curry added 31 (to go with his 10 rebounds) on Saturday as the Golden State Warriors knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder 108-101 on the road in game six of the NBA's Western Conference finals.The Warriors outscored the Thunder 33-18 in the fourth quarter.Kevin Durant scored 29 points while Russell Westbrook added 28 (to go with his 11 assists and nine rebounds) to lead the Thunder.The series, now squared at three games apiece, will be decided on Monday night in Oakland.The winner will face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals due to start on Thursday (in Cleveland if the Thunder win, in Oakland if the Warriors win).

At Bridgeview, Illinois:On a busy Saturday in Major League Soccer (with eight games played), David Accam's equalizer in the the 20th minute lifted the Chicago Fire to a 1-1 home draw with the Portland Timbers. Diego Valeri scored in the 18th minute for the guests, who are still looking for their first road win of the season.The Timbers will host the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night at 7:30 PM (Timbers' broadcast television network via KPTV, Portland).

Friday, May 27, 2016

At Toronto:LeBron James scored 33 points (and grabbed 11 rebounds) while Kyrie Irving added 30 and Kevin Love 20 (to go with his 12 rebounds) as the Cleveland Cavaliers secured their second straight NBA Eastern Conference title with a 113-87 road thrashing of the Toronto Raptors in game six of their conference final, which the Cavaliers won four games to two.Kyle Lowry paced the Raptors with 35 points while DeMar DeRozan added 20.The NBA Finals (LeBron's sixth straight such appearance) will open on Thursday next at Cleveland against Oklahoma City or at Oakland, depending on who wins the Golden State-Oklahoma City series for the Western Conference crown (with the Thunder up three games to two).The Cavaliers will try to win Cleveland its first major league sports title since the Browns' 1964 NFL championship.

At Portland, Oregon:Villyan Bijev scored the only goal of the match in the 25th minute on Thursday as Portland Timbers 2 defeated visiting Seattle Sounders FC 2 1-0 in United Soccer League action.The next game for T2 will be at home against the Swope Park Rangers next Saturday at 6:00 PM Pacific Time.

At Oakland, California:Stephen Curry scored 31 points while Klay Thompson added 27 and Andrew Bogut 15 (to go with his 14 rebounds) as the Golden State Warriors staved off elimination on Thursday night with their 120-111 game-five home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, offsetting a combined 71 points from the visitors' Kevin Durant (40) and Russell Westbrook (31).The Thunder can still finish off the defending champions and the NBA's Western Conference final series (which they still lead three games to two) with a game-six home victory in Oklahoma City on Saturday.Should the Warriors win on Saturday, the series will be decided in Oakland on Monday night.

At Pittsburgh:Bryan Rust scored twice in the second period while Matt Murray saved 16 of 17 shots on Thursday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in the seventh and deciding game of the Eastern Conference final as the Penguins won the series four games to one.The Penguins will take on the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final, set to start on Monday night in Pittsburgh.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

At Cleveland:Kevin Love scored 25 points while LeBron James and Kylie Irving each added 23 on Wednesday as the Cleveland Cavaliers crushed the visiting Toronto Raptors 116-78 in game five of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals.The Cavaliers can lock up their second successive Eastern Conference title (and NBA Finals appearance) with a game-six victory in Toronto on Friday.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

At San Jose, California:Joel Ward scored twice on Wednesday as the San Jose Sharks won their first-ever Western Conference championship by defeating the visiting St. Louis Blues 5-2 in game six of the Western Conference final. The Sharks, who began play in 1991, won the series four games to two and will play in their first-ever Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh-Tampa Bay Eastern Conference final winner (the series is deadlocked at three games apiece).The Blues are still looking for their first final appearance since being swept in four straight games by the Boston Bruins in 1970.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

At Oklahoma City:Russell Westbrook delivered a triple-double (36 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) as the Oklahoma City Thunder once again dominated the visiting Golden State Warriors 118-94 on Tuesday night in game four of the NBA's Western Conference final.Kevin Durant added 26 points (while grabbing 11 rebounds) to the Thunder's coffers.Klay Thompson paced the Warriors (who suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time all season) with 26 points.The Thunder, who now lead the series three to one, can finish off the defending champions with a game-five road win in Oakland on Thursday night.

At Tampa, Florida:Sidney Crosby scored a goal and had an assist on Tuesday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins extended the Eastern Conference final to a maximum seven games after their 5-2 game-six road victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.Phil Kessel (power play), Kris Letang, Bryan Rust, and Nick Bonino (empty net) also scored once apiece for the Penguins.The series, now deadlocked at three games apiece, will be decided on Thursday night in Pittsburgh

Monday, May 23, 2016

At Toronto:Kyle Lowry scored 35 points while DeMar DeRozan added 32 as the Toronto Raptors level the NBA's Eastern Conference finals at two games apiece on Monday following their 105-99 home victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four.LeBron James topped the Cavaliers with 29 points (to go with his nine rebounds) while Kyrie Irving added 26.

At St. Louis:Joel Ward (with one on the power play, the other an empty netter) and Joe Pavelski (with one on the power play) each scored twice on Monday as the San Jose Sharks scored four unanswered goals en rout to a 6-3 game-five road win over the St. Louis Blues to take a three-games-to-two lead in the Western Conference Finals.The Sharks can lock up their first-ever conference championship and a berth in their first-ever Stanley Cup Final with a game-six home victory in San Jose on Wednesday.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

At Pittsburgh:Nikita Kucherov scored a pair of goals, including the equalizer in the third period, then Tyler Johnson scored the game winner 53 seconds into overtime as the Tampa Bay Lightning knocked off the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on the road in Sunday's fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals.The Lightning can lock up the series, which they now lead three games to two, and a berth in their second straight Stanley Cup Finals, with a game-six home victory in Tampa on Tuesday.

At Oklahoma City:Kevin Durant scored 33 points (to go with his eight rebounds) while Russell Westbrook added 30 (to go with his 12 assists and eight rebounds) as the Oklahoma City Thunder pistolwhipped the visiting Golden State Warriors 133-105 in Sunday's third game of the NBA's Wester Conference finals, which the Thunder now lead two games to one.Stephen Curry paced the Warriors with 24 points.

At Portland, Oregon:In Sunday Major League Soccer action, Diego Valeri (PK-4), Jack McInerney (29'), Dairon Asprilla (PK-78'), and Darlington Nagbe (82') each scored once as the Portland Timbers doubled up the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps (4-2) in a Cascadia Cup contest as the hosts snapped a three-game losing skid.The Timbers will next travel to Bridgeview, Illinois for an encounter this coming Saturday (at 5:30 PM Pacific Time over the Timbers' broadcast television network through Portland's KDPX) against the Chicago Fire.

Saturday, May 21, 2016

At Toronto:DeMar DeRozan scored 32 points while Bismack Biyombo set a franchise single-game playoff record with 26 rebounds (to go with his seven points) as the Toronto Raptors snapped the Cleveland Cavaliers' ten-game playoff winning streak on Saturday with their 99-84 home win in game three of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals.Kyle Lowry added 20 points to the Raptors' coffers.LeBron James scored 24 points and J.R. Smith added 22 to pace the Cavaliers, who still lead the series two games to one.

At San Jose, California:As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Saturday, Troy Brouwer (both on the power play) and Kyle Brodziak (once shorthanded) each scored twice as the St. Louis Blues doubled-up the San Jose Sharks 6-3 on the road in game four of the Western Conference finals, now leveled at two games apiece.

At Baltimore:Exaggerator, with jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard (and trained by Kent's brother Keith), came from behind on Saturday to overtake Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist and win the 141st edition of the Preakness Stakes, contested at Pimlico Race Track. Cherry Wine finished second and Nyquist, who suffered his first defeat in nine career starts, finished third.

At Cleveland:Quarterback Arvill Nelson threw a touchdown pass in overtime to Collin Taylor from ten yards out, then Marvin Ross intercepted a pass in the end zone on Friday to preserve the Cleveland Gladiators' (3-4) 55-48 Arena Football League triumph (despite blowing a 20-point lead) over the visiting Portland Steel (0-6).

At Tampa, Florida:Ryan Callahan, Andrej Sustr, Jonathan Drouin (power play), and Tyler Johnson each scored a goal in the course of the first two periods on Friday as the Tampa Bay Lightning raced to a 4-0 lead, then held on for a 4-3 home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals, now squared at two games apiece as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued.

Alan Young, the British-born comedian best remembered for his portrayal of Wilbur Post, the hapless owner of the titled talking horse in the 1960s TV sitcom Mister Ed, passed away on Thursday at age 96.He passed away at the Motion Picture & Television Home in Woodland Hills, California.A native of England who moved to Canada when he was about six years old, and whom by the 1940s was already a veteran performer on radio in that country, Mr. Young headlined a network radio show here in the States that was originally set to be a summer replacement for Eddie Cantor, but instead became so popular that it ran for five years (1944-49).In 1950, Alan starred in a CBS television program from Los Angeles entitled The Alan Young Show, for which both he and the program won Emmy Awards in 1951 (the program for best variety show and he for best actor).In 1960, Alan was cast as the affable owner of a talking horse on a TV series entitled Mister Ed, which began its' life in syndication before it went network over CBS in 1961 (where it remained until 1966).This was the story of a taking horse named Mister Ed, who would speak only to Wilbur Post, who was his owner.The voice of Mister Ed was provided by veteran grade-B Western movie star Allen "Rocky" Lane (who passed away in 1973).

Thursday, May 19, 2016

At Cleveland:LeBron James delivered a triple double (23 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists) while Kyrie Irving contributed 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 108-89 in game two of the NBA's Eastern Conference finals, which the Cavaliers now lead two games to none.DeMar DeRozan paced the Raptors with 22 points.

At San Jose, California:As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Thursday, Thomas Hertl scored twice while Martin Jones collected his second straight shutout by saving all 22 shots as the San Jose Sharks grabbed a two-games-to-one Western Conference Finals lead after their 3-0 home game-three domination of the St. Louis Blues.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

At Oakland, California:Stephen Curry scored 28 points on Wednesday as the Golden State Warriors, with seven players scoring in double figures, squared the NBA's Western Conference Finals at one game apiece following their 118-91 game-two home frontier-styled fist-beating of the Oklahoma City Thunder.Kevin Durant paced OKC with 26 points.

At Tampa, Florida:Carl Hagelin, Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby (power play), and Chris Kunitz each tallied once as the Pittsburgh Penguins reclaimed home-advantage in their Eastern Conference Finals after their 4-2 road victory on Wednesday over the Tampa Bay Lightning in game three.The Penguins now lead the series two games to one.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

At Cleveland:Kylie Irving scored 27 points while LeBron James added 24 (in just three quarter) on Tuesday night as the Cleveland Cavaliers opened the NBA's Eastern Conference finals by thrashing the visiting Toronto Raptors (making their conference finals debut) 115-84.

At St. Louis:Brent Burns scored two power-play goals while Martin Jones stopped all 26 shots as the San Jose Sharks demolished the St. Louis Blues 4-0 on the road in Tuesday's second game of the Western Conference Finals as that series is now level at one game apiece.

Monday, May 16, 2016

At Oakland, California:Russell Westbrook scored 27 points (and dished out 12 assists) while Kevin Durant added 26 (to go with his ten rebounds) as the Oklahoma City Thunder opened the NBA's Western Conference Finals by knocking off the Golden State Warriors 108-102 on the road, despite 26 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists from the Warriors' Stephen Curry.Klay Thompson added 26 points and Draymond Green 23 to the Warriors' coffers.

At Pittsburgh:Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal 40 seconds into overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins squared their Eastern Conference Final series with the Tampa Bay Lightning at one game apiece following their 3-2 game-two home victory on Monday.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

At Portland, Oregon:In Sunday Major League Soccer action, David Villa (12') and Tommy McNamara (65') each scored a goal as New York City FC knocked off the Portland Timbers 2-1 on the road.Fanendo Adi scored for the Timbers in the 55th minute but had to leave the game three minutes later due to a tweaked hamstring.The Timbers will try to snap their current three-game losing skid with a home victory in next Sunday's Cascadia Cup clash against the Vancouver Whitecaps (1:30 PM Pacific Time, ESPN).

At St. Louis:David Backes (power play) and Jori Lehtera each scored a goal while goalie Brian Elliot stopped 31 of 32 shots on Sunday as the Stanley Cup Playoff continued with the St. Louis Blues' 2-1 game-one home victory over the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference Finals.

At Toronto:In Sunday's finale of the second round of the NBA Playoffs, Kyle Lowry scored 35 points and DeMar DeRozan added 28 as the Toronto Raptors mauled the visiting Miami Heat 116-89 in game seven of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.The Raptors won the series four games to three and headed for their first-ever Eastern Conference final against the Cleveland Cavaliers.The series opens in Cleveland on Tuesday.

Julius LaRosa, the Brooklyn-born boyish singer who was fired by Arthur Godfrey on the air in 1953, passed away on Thursday at age 86 in Crivitz, Wisconsin.Having joined Mr. Godfrey's CBS radio and television shows right after leaving the Navy in 1951, Mr. LaRosa became a very popular member of Arthur's cast, known to one and all as the "Little Godfreys."The Old Redhead was a one-man profit center for CBS, as host of his successful television shows Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends, as well as his Arthur Godfrey Time weekday radio-TV simulcasts.After his third recording for Cadence Records, founded by Mr. Godfrey's musican director Archie Bleyer, and a dispute between Julius and Arthur over the former's absence from a mandatory dance class (due to a family emergency), Julius hired his own manager, which didn't sit well with Arthur.Julius, at the time, was receiving at least 7,000 fan letters a week.On October 19, 1953, after the conclusion of the TV portion of the Arthur Godfrey Time simulcast, Arthur told Julius on the radio-only portion the story of how he went to become "a great big name," then asked him to sing "I'll Take Manhattan."After Mr. LaRosa finished singing that song, Mr. Godfrey told him "Thanks ever so much, Julie. That was Julie's swan song with us."In short, Julius LaRosa was fired on the air.Soon afterward, at a news conference, Arthur said that Julius lacked humility.Days later, the Old Redhead canned bandleader/musical director Archie Bleyer, whose Cadence Records label recorded not only Julius' songs, but also a series of spoken word records with Don McNeill, whose Chicago-based ABC Radio show The Breakfast Club competed with Arthur's show.As for Julius, he had a series of hit recordings at Cadence, including "Anywhere I Wonder" and "Eh Cumpari (which reached #2 on Billboard's pop charts)."After making numerous appearanced on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town, Julius would headline a number of mid-to-late 1950s summer replacement shows.Julius starred in the 1958 Columbia motion picture "Let's Rock."Arthur Godfrey himself passed away in 1983.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

At Colorado Springs, Colorado:In Friday United Soccer League play, Michael Seth scored the only goal of the match in the 52nd minute to carry the Colorado Springs Switchbacks to a 1-0 home victory over Portland Timbers 2.The Portland Timbers' USL affiliate will host Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 next Friday at 7:30 PM Pacific Time.

Friday, May 13, 2016

At Pittsburgh:As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Friday, Alex Killorn, Ondrej Palat (power play), and Jonathan Drouin each scored a goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning, despite losing starting goalie Ben Bishop to a leg injury in the first period, defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on the road in the opening contest of the Eastern Conference Finals.Andrei Vasilevskiy, in relief, stopped 25 of 26 shots for the Lightning.

At Miami:In the lone Friday NBA Playoff contest, Goran Dragic scored 30 points while Dwyane Wade added 22 points as the Miami Heat squared their Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Toronto Raptors at three games apiece following their 103-91 home victory in game six.Kyle Lowry paced the Raptors with 36 points while DeMar DeRozan added 23.The series will decided in Toronto on Sunday.

At Portland, Oregon:Alejandro Valazquez and Edwin Barboa each scored once on Wednesday night as California-based La Maquina (who play in the fifth-level Unites States Adult Soccer Association) knocked off the Portland Timbers' Under-23 squad (which plays in the fourth-division Premier Developmental League) 2-0 on the road in the opening round proper of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

At San Jose, California:In Thursday's finale of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Joe Pavelski (power play), Joel Ward, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton (power play) and Patrick Marleau each scored a goal while Martin Jones stopped all 20 shots as the San Jose Sharks throttled the visiting Nashville Predators 5-0 to win game seven of their conference semifinal series and ousted their guests four games to three.The Predators are one of only three active franchises (Columbus and the current Winnipeg organization) that have never reached a conference final.The Sharks will take on the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Finals, which will start on Sunday in St. Louis.

At Oklahoma City:In the lone Thursday NBA Playoff contest, Kevin Durant scored 37 points while Russell Westbrook added 28 as the Oklahoma City Thunder ousted the San Antonio Spurs following their 113-99 game-six home victory as the Thunder took their Western Conference semifinal series four games to two.Kawhi Leonard paced the Spurs with 22 points.The Thunder will take on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, which will open on Monday in Oakland, California.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Two games were played in the NBA Playoffs on Wednesday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Toronto:DeMar DeRozan match a playoff career record with 34 points while Kyle Lowry added 25 (to go with his ten rebounds and six assists) as the Toronto Raptors took game five of their conference semifinal series with the Miami Heat 99-91 at home.Dwyane Wade lead the Heat with 20 points.The Raptors can clinch the series, which they now lead three games to two, and advance to their first-ever conference final, with a game-six victory in Miami on Friday.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Oakland, California:Stephen Curry scored 14 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter (while dishing out 11 assists) as the Golden State Warriors outlasted the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 125-121 in game five of their conference semifinal series, which they won four games to one.Klay Thompson paced the Warriors with 33 points.Damian Lillard topped the Blazers with 28 points while C.J. McCollum added 27 and Allen Crabbe 20.The Warriors advanced to their second straight Western Conference finals.

At Dallas:In the lone Wednesday Stanley Cup Playoff contest, Robby Fabbri (power play), Paul Stasny, Patrik Berglund, David Backes, Troy Brouwer, and Vladimir Tarasenko (empty net) each scored once while Brian Elliot stopped 31 of 32 shots as the St. Louis Blues manhandled the Dallas Stars 6-1 on the road in game seven of their Western Conference semifinal series and ousted the conference's top seed four games to three.The Blues advanced to their first Western Conference final since 2001. St. Louis will face the winner of the Nashville-San Jose series (currently deadlocked at three games apiece and will be decided on Thursday in San Jose).

At Frisco, Texas:Second-half goals scored two minutes apart by Ryan Hollingshead (55') and Walker Zimmerman (57') carried FC Dallas to a 2-1 Wednesday Major League Soccer home win over the Portland Timbers.Diego Valeri scored for the guests in the third minute.The Timbers will try to regroup in time for this coming Sunday's home game against New York City at 4:30 PM Pacific Time (Fox Sports 1).

At San Antonio:Russell Westbrook scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Kevin Durant added 23 as the Oklahoma City Thunder stormed from behind to upend the San Antonio Spurs 95-91 in game five of their Western Conference semifinal series, the lone Tuesday NBA Playoff contest.Kawhi Leonard paced the Spurs with 26 points while LaMarcus Aldridge (who grabbed nine rebounds) and Danny Green each added 20.The Thunder, who now lead the series three games to two, can close out the Spurs with a game-six home victory in Oklahoma City on Thursday.

At Pittsburgh:In the lone Tuesday Stanley Cup Playoff contest, Nick Bonino scored the winning goal at 6:32 of overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins, despite blowing a 3-0 lead, defeated the visiting Washington Capitals 4-3 in game six of their Eastern Conference semifinal series and eliminated the President's Trophy winner four games to two.The Penguins will take on the Tampa Bay Lighting for the Eastern Conference title and a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

At Anaheim, California:In an Arena Football League contest originally set for this past Saturday in Portland, but switched to Anaheim due to the fact that the Portland Trail Blazers hosted an NBA playoff game, the Los Angeles KISS (3-3) forced six turnovers in routing the winless Portland Steel (0-5) 66-27 on Monday.

The NBA Playoffs continued on Monday with two games.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Miami:Dwyane Wade scored 30 points as the Miami Heat defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors 94-87 in overtime to square their conference semifinal series at two games apiece.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Portland, Oregon:In his first appearance of this series, Stephen Curry scored 40 points (an NBA-record 17 of them in overtime), grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out eight assists as the Golden State Warriors outlasted the Portland Trail Blazers 132-125 on the road in game four of their conference semifinal series.Kyle Thompson added 23 points and Draymond Green 21 to the Warriors' coffers.Damian Lillard paced the Blazers with 36 points (while dishing out ten assists) while C.J. McCollum added 24.The Warriors can close out the series with a game-five home victory in Oakland on Wednesday.

Two games---both in the Western Conference---were contested as the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Monday.At St. Louis:Mattias Janmark, Vernon Fiddler, and Jason Spezza (power play) each scored a first-period goal as the Dallas Stars held off the home-standing St. Louis Blues 3-2 in game six of their conference semifinal series.The series, now deadlocked at three games apiece, will be decided in game seven on Wednesday night at Dallas.At Nashville:Viktor Arvidsson scored the winning goal 2:03 into overtime as the Nashville Predators leveled their conference semifinal series with the San Jose Sharks at three games apiece following their 4-3 game-six home victory.

The series, in which the home club won every game, is set to be decided on Thursday at San Jose.

Monday, May 09, 2016

At Tampa, Florida:In the lone Sunday Stanley Cup Playoff contest, Victor Hedman scored twice (once on the power play) while Ben Bishop saved all 28 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning blanked the visiting New York Islanders 4-0 in game four of their Eastern Conference semifinal series and eliminated the Brooklynites four games to one as the Lightning advanced to their second straight Eastern Conference final.

Three games were played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Washington:Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie each scored once on the power play while Braden Holtby saved 30 of 31 shots as the Washington Capitals avoided elimination with a 2-1 game-five home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, who can still wrap up the conference semifinal series with a game-six home win on Tuesday.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Dallas:Dmitrij Jaskin scored what proved to be the game winner in the second period while Brian Elliot stopped 27 of 28 saves as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Dallas Stars 4-1 on the road in game five of their conference semifinal series.The Blues can wrap up the series with a home win back home in St. Louis in game six on Monday.At San Jose, California:Joe Pavelski scored twice (once on the power play) as the San Jose Sharks manhandled the visiting Nashville Predators 5-1 in game five of their conference semifinal series.The Sharks can close out the Predators with a game-six victory in Nashville on Monday night.

Two games were played in the NBA Playoffs on Sunday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Atlanta:Kevin Love scored 27 points (and grabbed 13 rebounds) while Kyrie Irving and LeBron James (who grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists) each added 21 as the Cleveland Cavaliers completed their four-game conference semifinal-series sweep of the Atlanta Hawks with 100-99 road win in game four.Dennis Schroder paced the Hawks with 21 points.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Oklahoma City:Kevin Durant scored 41 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder squared their conference semifinal series at two games apiece following their 111-97 road win over the San Antonio Spurs in game four.Tony Parker scored 22 points while Kawhi Leonard added 21 and LaMarcus Aldridge 20 to pace the Spurs.

Two games were played in the NBA Playoffs on Saturday.EASTERN CONFERNECE:At Miami:Kyle Lowry scored 33 points as the Toronto Raptors knocked off the Miami Heat 95-91 on the road in game three of their conference semifinal series, which they now lead two games to one.Dwyane Wade paced the Heat with 38 points.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Portland, Oregon:Damian Lillard scored 40 points and dished out 10 assists as the Portland Trail Blazers snapped back from their game-two fourth-quarter meltdown and held off the visiting Golden State Warriors 120-108 in game three of their conference semifinal series.Al-Farouq added 23 points (and grabbed 10 rebounds) and C.J. McCollum added 22 to the Blazers' coffers.Draymond Green scored 37 points (and grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists) while Klay Thompson added 35 to pace the Warriors, who still lead the series two games to one.

At Portland, Oregon:In their first Providence Park contest of the 2016 season on Saturday, Neco Brett scored twice (80', 90') as Portland Timbers 2 outdistanced visiting Real Monarchs (owned by and affiliated with Real Salt Lake) 3-1 in United Soccer League action.T2 will visit the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on Friday at 6:00 PM Pacific Time.

At Vancouver, British Columbia:In Saturday Major League Soccer action, Masato Kudo (60') and Christian Bolanos (66') each scored a goal as the Vancouver Whitecaps upended the visiting Portland Timbers 2-1 in a Cascadia Cup clash.Nat Borchers scored for the Timbers in the 34th minute.The Timbers will travel to Frisco, Texas for a contest against FC Dallas, set to start at 6:00 PM Pacific Time (ROOT Sports Northwest).

At Louisville, Kentucky:Nyquist, with jockey Mario Gutierrez aboard, won Saturday's 142nd running of the Kentucky Derby to remain unbeaten in eight career starts. Exaggerator finished second and Gun Runner finished third.

Saturday, May 07, 2016

Two games were contested in the NBA Playoffs on Friday.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Atlanta:Channing Frye scored 27 points while Kyrie Irving and LeBron James (who grabbed 13 rebounds) each added 24 as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 121-108 in game three of their conference semifinal series to take a three-games-to-none series lead.Al Horford paced the Hawks with 24 points while Jeff Teague added 19 while dishing out 14 assists.The Cavaliers can close out the series and lock up a conference finals berth with a game-four victory in Atlanta on Sunday.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Oklahoma City:Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points (and grabbed 11 rebounds) while LaMarcus Aldridge added 24 and Tony Parker 19 as the San Antonio Spurs held off the Oklahoma City Thunder 100-96 on the road to take a two-games-to-one conference semifinal-series lead.Russell Westbrook (who grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists) paced the Thunder with 31 points while Kevin Durant added 26.

At Brooklyn, New York:Jason Garrison scored the winning goal 94 seconds into overtime in the lone Friday Stanley Cup Playoff contest as the Tampa Bay Lightning knocked off the New York Islanders 2-1 on the road in the fourth game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, which Tampa Bay now leads three games to one.Ben Bishop saved 27 of 28 shots to preserve the Lightning victory.The Lightning can secured their second straight Eastern Conference finals appearance with a home victory in game five back in Tampa on Saturday.

Friday, May 06, 2016

The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Thursday with two games, both in the Western Conference.At St. Louis:Cory Eakin scored the winning goal at 2:58 of overtime as the Dallas Stars squared their conference semifinal series with the St. Louis Blues at two games apiece following their 3-2 game-four road victory.At Nashville:Mike Fisher, who scored the winning series at 11:12 of the third overtime period, scored twice as the Nashville Predators, in the longest contest in franchise history, defeated the visiting San Jose Sharks 4-3 in game four and knotted their conference semifinal series at two games apiece.

At Toronto:In the lone Thursday NBA Playoff contest, DeMarre Carroll scored 21 points as the Toronto Raptors squared their Eastern Conference semifinal series at one game apiece following their 96-92 game-two overtime victory over the visiting Miami Heat.Goran Dragic paced the Heat with 20 points.

Thursday, May 05, 2016

At Cleveland:In the lone Wednesday NBA Playoff contest, the Cleveland Cavaliers converted an NBA single-game record 25 three-point baskets (regular OR post-season) as they throttled the visiting Atlanta Hawks 123-98 in game two of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, which they now lead two games to none.LeBron James led the way for the Cavaliers with 27 points while J.R. Smith added 23.

At Pittsburgh:In the lone Wednesday Stanley Cup Playoff contest, Patric Hornqvist scored the winning goal at 2:34 of overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the visiting Washington Capitals 3-2 in game four of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.The Penguins, who now lead three games to one, can finish of the President's Trophy winners with a game-five win on Saturday in Washington.

Tuesday, May 03, 2016

Two games were played on Tuesday night in the NBA Playoffs.EASTERN CONFERENCE:At Toronto:Goran Dragic scored 26 points while Dwyane Wade added 24 (seven of them in overtime) as the Miami Heat knocked off the Toronto Raptors 102-96 on the road in the opening contest of their conference semifinal series.Jonas Valanclunas delivered a double double (24 points and 14 rebounds) for the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan added 22 points to the Toronto coffers.WESTERN CONFERENCE:At Oakland, California:Kyle Thompson scored 27 points while Draymond Green added 17 (to go with his 14 rebounds) as the Golden State Warriors stormed back from an 11-point deficit at the end of the third quarter and upended the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 110-99 in game two of their conference semifinal series, which the defending NBA champs now lead two games to none.Damien Lillard paced the Blazers with 25 points while C.J. McCollum added 22.